The selection game

The so-called epoch-making selection in the name of an election has been carried out amidst cries of the civil society and woes of the international arena. All the voices have fallen on deaf ears. Now what?

The opposition will never accept this as it only promises its identity cessation. The retaliation has been displayed with the instant 48-hour hartal. A novice can tell that this sort of retribution will continue forever until a fair election takes place, and both the parties come to some sort of consensus.

Meanwhile, the country burns and the economy gets shoddier. The GDP of the nation which was slowly but steadily rising every year has taken a nosedive to 5%. Some assume the lowest GDP will be this year. With the continuous political problems, many foreign buyers of garments, 80% of our export material, are looking towards others countries as alternatives, based on the fear that our industries will not be able to supply materials in a timely manner. The cost of transportation is also steadily increasing. In addition, continuous questionable catastrophes related to the garments sector have become a regular topic of today.

With this superfluous selection-election game, the near future seems bleak as well. There is no hope for reconciliation with the opposition. This will create havoc and cause terror attacks as certain groups will go underground. Bangladesh, as a result, may become a failed state like Kenya, Congo, and South Sudan.

This beautiful country has abundant resources, especially millions of hardworking people in all sectors willing to make a difference. With good leadership, Bangladesh can easily become more like Malaysia and Singapore. It will be very sad for the common people to see their beloved nation slowly shatter into pieces in front of their very own eyes.

This once proud land, home of so many great minds, is being reduced to one where the children lose their limbs regularly, where women are beaten in broad daylight by men promising to support the spirit of freedom, where minorities are humiliated with no hope of retribution.

How long will this mockery continue? Will it go on until the country has been brought down to its breaking point, and been labeled as a rogue state in the international arena that supports and feeds terrorists?

The leadership of this country has become a ping-pong ball that falls in the court of either of the two major parties, and the chaos continues between the two as long as the ball visits the other one’s court. There needs to be a rise in the number of parties, especially ones that actually represents the country, and are willing to sacrifice and work for the country.

India is a major nation, hoping to be the third largest superpower within 2020 after China and the USA. This country is assumed to be a friend of our country, and has recently seen the Aam Admi Party come to power. Through this “common man’s party,” Arvind Kejriwal became the chief minister of Delhi. We have so much to learn from this nation, where the people have voted for someone to represent themselves.

Aristotle said a long time ago that democracy was the devil in disguise. He had said that the system was flawed. The common people select a person to represent them, and later that person falls prey to power and misuses it, forgetting once and for all why he was selected in the first place.

For this democracy to work properly, the legislative and the judicial processes must be separated from the ministry. Otherwise, power can and will corrupt, and the lust for it will remain amidst violence. People will take unscrupulous measures to reach the top.

This craziness must stop. The swinging of the ping-pong ball must stop. Both the parties must realise the destruction they are causing, and come to a consensus for the greater good. For the umpteenth time, the general people must also raise their voices to save what is left of the beautiful country that was, and can be again.